Media enhanced shopping systems with data mining functionalities

Abstract

A media enhanced shopping cart system comprises a shopping cart, a locationing component, and a display component for displaying at least one advertisement for a product based on the location of the shopping cart within the store, wherein the locationing component is further operable to determine a location of the product within the store relative to the shopping cart, and wherein the display component is further operable to display an indication of the location of the advertised product relative to the location of the shopping cart.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A media enhanced shopping system, comprising:
 a computing device, wherein the computing device comprises a microprocessor, wherein the computing device is capable of capturing, determining, and recording real-time data about a consumer and a consumer's movements in a store and interactions with a shopping cart, wherein the real-time data comprises shopping cart inventory, wherein the real-time data comprises a location and direction of travel of the shopping cart, and wherein location and direction of travel is determined via the evaluation of data captured by the computing device from multiple sources; 
 a display component operably coupled to the computing device, wherein the display comprises a screen comprising a viewable area and wherein consumer interpretable information is displayed on the screen; 
 an inventory component of the computing device, wherein the inventory component identifies each item comprising the shopping cart inventory when the item is placed in the shopping cart and wherein the inventory component identifies each item based on the real-time data captured via communication with identification information of each item; 
 an identification component of the computing device, wherein the identification component is capable of associating a unique identity of the shopping cart; 
 a locationing component of the computing device, wherein the locationing component is capable of determining location and direction of travel of the shopping cart based on the real-time data captured by the computing device, wherein the real-time data comprises identification information located on items located in proximity to the shopping cart and rotational speed of adjacent wheels of the shopping cart; 
 a database of the computing device comprising data related to advertisements; 
 a correlation component of the computing device operably coupled to the inventory component, the locationing component, the database and the display, for:
 (i) correlating inventory identified by the inventory component with the unique identity of the shopping cart as the inventory is updated over a course of a shopping trip, and 
 (ii) selecting a plurality of advertisements from the database based on a correlation between the inventory and the unique identity of the shopping cart; 
 
 the computing device further configured to select at least one advertisement from the selected plurality of advertisements based on the location of the shopping cart; and 
 the display further configured to display the selected at least one advertisement. 
 
     
     
       2. The media enhanced shopping cart of  claim 1 , further comprising a retailer system comprising a point of sale system, a consumer loyalty system, or a security system. 
     
     
       3. The media enhanced shopping system of  claim 1 , further comprising a communication component for conveying a correlation between the inventory and the unique identity of the shopping cart. 
     
     
       4. The media enhanced shopping system of  claim 3 , wherein the inventory comprises at least one of items scanned by the inventory component and items verified as present in the shopping cart. 
     
     
       5. The media enhanced shopping system of  claim 4 , further comprising a retailer system for receiving the correlation between the items verified as present in the shopping cart and for processing payment thereof. 
     
     
       6. The media enhanced shopping system of  claim 5 , wherein the processing of payment does not require the items verified as present in the shopping cart to be individually identified as present in the shopping cart at a time of purchase.